There may not be a Google Android Developer Challenge for SSA in 2013 (there is still an Africa Android Challenge) but last year’s event saw three winners and two honorable mentions.

In light of talk that many African apps do not live much beyond their competition, we’ve decided to see how the winners are doing a year later. The verdict is that developers are still going strong even if the apps that won the contest never made it big. The exception here is Afrinolly, which has gone on to be widely popular, yet is only one piece of the company that created it.

Afrinolly: Nigeria – FansConnectOnline Limited – “Afrinolly brings African movies to your pocket, allowing you to watch movie trailers, read entertainment news and gossip, track celebs, listen to music and share it all with your friends.”

• Rating: 2.7/5 (311 reviews)
• Installs: 100,000 – 500,000
• Updated: May 13, 2013
• Endorsed by MTN and available on numerous platforms
• FansConnectOnline has been successful developing a variety of platforms over the years and currently operates as a digital marketing agency with a variety of clients.
• Google Play

Olalashe: Kenya – David Lemayian, Capefield Ltd. –  “Olalashe is a geo-alert application that can help you communicate when you’re in trouble, through a widget that can send your location and a pre-set message to your ‘In Case of Emergency’ contacts with the push of a button.”

• Rating: 4.0/5 (7 reviews)
• Installs: 100 – 500
• Updated: November 19, 2012
• This app may not be widely used but the company continues to develop websites and provide consulting services. The developer has worked on various Kenyan Open Data projects and is a consultant for The World Bank.
• Google Play

Shoppers’ Delight: Kenya – Elan Telemedia Ltd. – “Shoppers’ Delight is a shopping application that allows shoppers to compare product prices across different area supermarkets. The app also helps shoppers discover bargains and relevant sales, and access maps and health information.”

• Rating: 3.5/5 (23 reviews)
• Installs: 1,000 – 5,000
• Updated: October 21, 2011
• This app didn’t get much traction, but the development company is still in business despite having no other apps for download.
• Google Play

Rainbow Racer: South Africa – Starburst Games – “Compete in your country, region or against the whole world – it’s your choice. Use the phone’s accelerometer to pace though levels.”

• Rating: 4.0/5 (110 reviews)
• Installs: 10,000 – 50,000
• Updated: December 12, 2011
• A successful game in terms of downloads, but the developer’s website is gone.
• Google Play

Wedding Plandroid: South Africa – Richard Marsh – “Wedding Plandroid is a lightweight app specifically designed to help brides and grooms plan for their big day. It allows users to manage their wedding budget, track their progress on a timeline of wedding orientated tasks, keep track of their vendors, as well as manage their guest list.”

• Rating: 4.3/5 (359 reviews)
• Installs: 100,000 – 500,000
• Updated: January 5, 2012
• Successful in terms of downloads, but no longer updated. Developer is freelance.
• Google Play